Kate Middleton makes ultimate property trade-up

Spanning more than 40,000 sq feet in SW1, the property is currently valued above £47million according to Zoopla.co.uk, which provides free value estimates of every home in the country.

And despite the young royals being the same age as the average first-time buyer (29 years old), their first marital digs will be worth 343 times the average newlywed starter-home (£137,000) in Britain.

Having the use of Windsor Castle, valued by Zoopla.co.uk at £171million, as a weekend country retreat is also beyond the wildest imagination of most young couples. With more than 1000 rooms and running to more than 484,000 sq feet, Windsor Castle is the world’s largest occupied castle and comes with its own park and chapel.

When the future King William and Queen Catherine finally take up permanent residence at Buckingham Palace in due course, they will occupy the world’s most valuable residential property, currently valued at over £982million by Zoopla.co.uk.

With 600 rooms, including 19 state rooms, 52 bedrooms, a cinema, swimming pool, helipad and its own post office and police station, it is the planet’s ultimate pad and perfect for what many hope will be a growing family.

But, despite the jaw-dropping values of their property portfolio, the royal family has not been immune to the property market downturn and has seen the values of its various property assets fall over the past few years along with the rest of country.

Buckingham Palace has fallen in value by £95million (8.8%) over the last three years, while Windsor Castle and Clarence House have each lost £27million and £4.5million in value respectively over the same period.

Nicholas Leeming, Business Development Director at Zoopla.co.uk, said: "Kate is certainly the envy of many, not only landing her Prince but also getting a dream property portfolio at the same time. Luckily for the young royal couple, they will not need to secure a mortgage before moving into their new digs, as even they might find it a challenge in the current lending climate and on William’s RAF salary."
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